Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (Executive DBA) at École des Ponts ParisTech

Programme overview

The Executive DBA is a professional doctorate for experienced executives who want to formalise expertise gained over their careers through applied doctoral research. It is modular, with four one-week residential sessions in Paris in the first year, then supervised research from anywhere. The programme is accredited by AMBA.

Faculty: École des Ponts Business School | Duration: 4 years part-time (completion required within 5 years of start) | Study mode: part-time; taught in English | Intake: October 2026 (19 October 2026) | Location: Champs-sur-Marne, Île-de-France, France

What you will study

Year 1 covers research methods, advanced literature review and learning labs in Paris. Years 2 to 4 are supervised doctoral research including a doctoral proposal, three doctoral papers and a thesis, ending with a viva voce before a jury.

Career pathways

Opens routes into teaching, consulting, corporate governance roles and academic publishing; the last class averaged 23 years of work experience across 19 nationalities.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Minimum 10 years of full-time work experience at the start of the programme (most applicants have 15 to 25). Five-step process: advisory call, online application with documents and at least two references, conversations with two current participants or alumni, a 30-45 minute virtual faculty interview, and a decision within one to two weeks. Applications are open year-round; cohorts of 20 to 30.

EUR 55,000 for the whole programme (2026-2027). Standard tuition for the whole programme; payable in 1, 5 or 18 instalments; 10% reduction for women and 5% for alumni or professor referrals. Source

Intake: October 2026 (19 October 2026)

Duration: 4 years part-time (completion required within 5 years of start)

Apply through the official page: https://pontsbschool.com/edba

Explore more study programmes

Engineering